1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to amplifiers, more particularly to amplifiers with removable remote controls and isocoupling systems that connect two or more amplifiers and that electrically insulate the heat sink from the mounting surface by isolating the mounting screws. The amplifier may also be liquid-cooled to dissipate heat generated by the amplifier.
2. Prior Art
Amplifiers are used in the audio industry to amplify and control the energy that passes to speakers for ultimate sound output. Amplifiers have one or more controls or potentiometers that are used to tune and adjust gain (power output level), crossover frequencies, and equalization settings. Many amplifiers position these controls along a sidewall of the amplifier such that when it is mounted flush to a wall or under a seat, access to the controls is limited. Additionally, when a plurality of amplifiers is mounted in unison or very close to one another, access to the controls is further limited. In both cases, visual access to the controls is equally limited because the identifying writing associated with each particular control is often hidden from view. Some amplifiers are constructed with jacks therein so that a control pod can be placed remotely from the amplifier. This arrangement has created problems because not all controls have been placed on the remote control pod. Further, there are two sets of controls that may conflict with each other, and the amplifier may not perform optimally because both sets of controls can often be adjusted independently. Noise can be introduced into the system through the amplifier because of the duplicity of controls and added user installation complexity. Another obvious disadvantage is that the user is required to purchase an additional set(s) of controls which adds unnecessary expense to the final system.
It is well known that during the course of operation, amplifiers generate large quantities of heat. A variety of methods are presently used to dissipate heat, including cooling fins and heat sinks, passing air over the cooling fins, and even contacting separate cooling tubing with the cooling fins. Unfortunately, these methods can be expensive and very inefficient. If the cooling tubes burst or leak, the internal circuit boards of the amplifier may be damaged by the circulating coolant. Therefore, a need exists for an amplifier that can avoid these problems.